Walter Augusto

Walter Augusto lives in Camaná, Peru, an oasis in the otherwise long and dry desert of Sechura that dominates the coast in the Southeast part of the country. Camana has historically been an important tourist destination in Peru, nevertheless, the frequent and strong earthquakes and tsunamis of the last decade (an 8.4 in 2001 and 8.0 in 2007) decimated the city, destroyed the tourist industry in Camana costing many their jobs, livelihoods and homes. But the result of the unemployment has created an atmosphere prepared for microfinancing. Camana has precious beaches and, in his free time, Walter enjoys fishing to relax a little. In addition, he knows that Peru is known for having the most delicious food in the world and one of the dishes that Walter likes is "Pure de Papas" (mashed potatoes). Walter studied up to the fifth year of high school but he would have liked to study journalism. Walter lives with his partner. His spouse is dedicated to selling cakes and sweets on foot. Together they have one child who currently is in his fifth year of high school.

Walter is dedicated to photography service. He does this work eight hours a day. In one day, Walter can attend to approximately 15 customers and this allows him to earn approximately S. 35 daily and, on a good day, he can earn up to S. 70, which helps with some of the additional home bills as well as support his spouse selling her products. He believes that his business is going well because he is very friendly with customers and because he completes his work on time.

Currently, he is very thankful for the Kiva loans since with this support he can purchase materials and printers for his business. This improvement will help him to have a more modern printer and be able to complete more printing jobs than today and in a few months expand his shop which will help him earn more income and fulfill his great dream: to purchase land to build a house.

Additional Information

About Caja Rural Señor de Luren

Caja Rural Señor de Luren is a microfinance institution based in Ica in southern Peru that primarily promotes the development of the country’s agricultural sector through lending. Today, it also offers credit for consumers, microenterprises and housing improvements, and has expanded its financial services to promote micro-savings and provide micro-insurance. This institution has been instrumental in helping borrowers recover from the devastating earthquake in the Ica region in 2007, and works with Peru’s National Bank to reach some of the poorest and most remote microfinance clients in the country.